Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Crusader Baseball picking up steam

WAUKESHA – Matt West took command. West, a sophomore left-hander, pitched a six-hitter through 5 1/3 innings to help lead the Catholic Memorial High School baseball team to a 5-2 victory over Waukesha North in a Classic 8 Conference game at Waukesha West on Tuesday. West yielded two runs with six strikeouts and no walks in making just his third varsity start for Memorial, which improved to 7-10 in conference and 10-16 overall.

The Crusaders have won six of their last eight games. “My curveball was really working,” said West, who improved his individual record to 3-0 overall. “I just continued to gain confidence as the game went on and my teammates backed me up by playing strong defense from start to finish. “It was another great team effort.”

Sophomore left handerCharlie Walsh earned a save, yielding no runs on one hit with one walk over the final two innings. Walsh ended the contest by picking off a runner at second base. Memorial scored the first run of the game as junior first baseman Matt Groehler delivered an RBI double in the bottom of the first inning.

The Crusaders extended the lead to 2-0 in the third on a runscoring single by Groehler. “I’ve been slumping lately, so it was great to break out of it with a few big hits,” said Groehler, who went 2 for 3 with two RBIs. “Throughout the night, I just tried to go back to the basics and make solid contact. It was just a matter of picking good pitches to hit and making the most of each situation. The game was close so, it was great to contribute.”

Memorial followed with two runs in the fourth as senior pinch hitter J.C. Petersen scored on a fielding error and West collected an RBI bloop single. The Crusaders scored their final run in the sixth on an RBI single from senior left fielder Tom West. North answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI infield single by junior first baseman Nick Jelacic and an RBI double from junior left fielder Mark Miresse.

Memorial first-year coach Tim Gotzler was encouraged by the way his team maintained its aggressiveness for an entire seven innings. “Everything worked out as planned today,” said Gotzler, whose team scored four of its five runs with two outs. “The guys were prepared, came out with a lot of intensity and focused on the fundamentals to make it happen. “We’re starting to play like an upper echelon team so it was great to see the guys realize their potential. We just seem to be peaking at the right time.”...

Photo: Katie Derksen/Special to The Freeman Catholic Memorial’s Charlie Walsh runs to third during the Crusaders’ 5-2 Classic 8 Conference victory over Waukesha North on Tuesday.